Current lacrosse heads are typically constructed of an open frame having a base with a concave interior surface that defines a ball rest, a pair of sidewalls that diverge from the base, and a lip or scoop that interconnects the sidewalls remotely of the base. Openings or other attachment structures are carried by the frame for securing a lacrosse net around the back side of the frame, leaving the opposing front side of the frame open for receiving lacrosse balls. A throat or other structure exteriorly projects from the base of the frame and has a socket formed therein for attachment to a handle. The handle and throat attachment define a handle/head axis, which typically, although not necessarily forms, the central axis and/or an axis of lateral symmetry of the head. All or at least a major portion of the front side of the head is conventionally disposed in a plane parallel to the handle/head axis.
More recently, however, lacrosse heads have been commercially introduced that have a portion of the sidewall disposed below the handle/head axis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,925 to Warrior Lacrosse discloses one embodiment for a scooped lacrosse head where the sidewall curves downward below and away from the handle/head axis and then curves upward back toward the axis. The scooped lacrosse head possesses numerous advantages over conventional lacrosse head constructions in which the front side of the frame is disposed essentially or entirely in a plane that lies parallel to the upper surface of the lacrosse stick. The curved sidewalls of the lacrosse head disclosed in the '925 patent naturally channel the lacrosse ball into the “sweet spot” or pocket of the net. Further, the pocket of the net will typically have a deeper construction than with conventional heads, such that the lacrosse ball lies a further distance below the upper rims of the sidewalls. Moreover, the arched scoop-like construction of the head, and the consequent scooped construction of the net attached to the head, provides a greater distance for the ball to travel in the net during a throwing motion, thereby improving both ball speed and “feel.”
Other lacrosse heads have been commercially introduced that abruptly lower the sidewall of the lacrosse head such that the upper rims of the sidewalls lie at or below the centerline of the lacrosse stick. Purported examples of these commercial lacrosse heads are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,651,549 and 5,935,026. According to these patents, lacrosse heads of this configuration can provide a lacrosse stick that has a weight distribution between the stick head and handle such that the head will naturally return to a neutral or open position. Also, according to these patents, this configuration can provide improved player feel, which facilitates cradling, throwing and receiving of a ball. Furthermore, the offset head's natural rotation to an open position as disclosed in these patents minimizes the chance of a player unintentionally receiving a thrown ball with the wrong side of a lacrosse head.
While these head configurations, which vary from the traditional configuration, provide different characteristics with regard to playability and feel, they do not address the concern of maintaining a lacrosse ball in the head once received in the netting. Attempts have been made in this regard to provide structure for a lacrosse head that helps maintain a lacrosse ball in the pocket and help to resist it from being checked from the lacrosse head, but these structures have caused other problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,056 discloses a plurality of ball retaining ridges protruding from the interior surface of the sidewalls. Each ridge has an underside extending generally downwardly and outwardly toward the ball pocket and serves to direct and retain the ball within the pocket. However, the extensions of these ridges from the sidewalls into the pocket also decreases the effective catching area of the lacrosse head. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,843 discloses a lacrosse head having a base portion that is recessed or rounded in a direction opposite the open frame to assist in retaining a lacrosse ball therein. The '843 patent also discloses a recessed padded ball stop to assist in the same purpose. Other commercial lacrosse heads have pinched in the upper portions of the sidewall such that the sidewalls angle outwardly therefrom. This configuration does provide some ball retention attributes, but it decreases the catching area of the head.
None of these prior lacrosse heads, however, provide any structure to narrow the pocket of the head and thereby keep the lacrosse ball, while in the head, in line with the center of the stick without narrowing the effective catching area of the head. Rather, in an effort to provide a wide catching area, these heads allow for a significant amount of side-to-side movement of the ball between the bottom portions of the sidewalls.